The hunt for the Nundu
by crazyrapunzel
Summary: Newt Scamander finds himself in Kenya, hunting a Nundu. Only he isn't alone. This is a short story of one of Newt's many adventures, featuring you.


_Dear reader,_

 _This is the first of my series of stories about Newt Scamander, travelling the world in the search of magical creatures. This one is written from the Reader pov. So feel free to enter your own name and fully emerge in the story :)_

 _I plan to continue with more stories like this one, but I will switch to OC's instead of reader pov._

 _So enjoy and take part on this adventure with one Magizoölogist called Newt Scamander._

* * *

KENYA – plains – 1922

There is no thrill so exciting as a hunt.

A pack of lions rested unknowingly in the shade of a single tree on the plains of Northern Kenya. The day was coming to an end, drawing the shadows out in long lines. The females had just returned from a successful hunt on a group of zebra's. The whelps were gnawing at the bones.

It wasn't regular that lions had to fear being watched. However, this day was an exception. A girl, young to the world with the beautiful name _ was watching the lions. One of the whelps was coming to an age where he would challenge the only grown up male in the group. It was nature, but this time _ had to interfere. It was her job, after all.

* * *

A good hour later _ walked back to the rescue center with a young male lion draped over her strong shoulders. At first people would look up at the strange display, but these days they were used to it. _ was the local girl that hunted wildlife. The lion wasn't dead, only paralyzed. It would be brought over to facilities where scientists were doing their experiments. Afterwards they were released back into the wild. _ had often seen the entire process to make sure she wasn't working for poachers. One time she did have an encounter with a poacher, and well, let's just say he won't ever sell anything illegal in his life again.

_ dropped the lion in one of the cages. Her boss walked up to her. 'Earlier back than expected,' he stated. _ looked up in his eyes. 'I like to keep surprising people,' she stated back.

What she hadn't noticed, was the second man, standing in the shadow of her boss. 'Very impressive indeed,' the man spoke. _ looked at the stranger. He was clearly no local. He had a west-European ethnicity, with slick, long hair brushed back into a ponytail. A tiny beard suited his chin, running up over his chin into his blonde hair. His clothes looked unusual and uncomfortably hot. He was wearing a long dark cloak and leather boots. A chill went down _'s spine. Despite the cold feeling she got from him, he also intrigued her.

'Where are my manners. Eduard Franklin, investigator from Norway. I see you are quite the huntress,' he said with a smooth voice. A lot of woman would probably swoon by the sound of it, but _ wasn't one of those woman. She was strong and fearless. Or well, that is how she sold herself.

'_,' she simply stated, taking in his appearance once more. He kept staring at her with those dark eyes until his interest diverted to the lion still lying at her feet. He stroked the fur around the manes and looked at his hand. There was a slight purple color on his fingers. _ swallowed. People weren't supposed to notice. People never noticed. She clutched the pouch on her hip firmly.

Mister Franklin stood back up and sniffed his fingers. He looked _ in the eyes. 'I could use someone like you. There is a very specific animal I am looking for. I know it is supposed to live somewhere in this area. Do you think you can help me?'

_ shifted on her legs. 'What are you going to do with the animal?'

He smirked. _ didn't like it at all. 'Same as usual. Some scientists want to study his species. They are nearly extinct, you see. I don't fancy you've seen one before.' At this point he waved for the other man to leave. He did so without protest, and _ was left with the creepy newcomer. He stood closer to her as he continued to study his fingers.

'If I didn't know any better I'd say these are the remains of Sleeping Draught. But then again, you would have to be some sort of… _witch_ to make that, right?' he said. _ stood her ground, but on the inside she was breaking down. _How did this man know so much? What kind of animal does he want? What does he know of potions? Could he figure out what I can do?_

'Witchcraft is for the superstitious, mister Franklin,' _ spoke, trying not to give herself away. He kept staring in her eyes for a long minute. _ took a step back. 'What animal are you after?'

He smirked again and _ cringed internally. 'It's called a Nundu.'

* * *

The next morning at sunrise _ was back on the plains. It took her a couple of hours to reach the area where mister Franklin had pointed her. She was supposed to find a hidden area between two mountains. There would the mysterious animal be hidden. _ still had no idea what a Nundu was, only that is was very important to mister Franklin. Normally, she doesn't trust strangers. But her boss threatened to fire her if she didn't go on this expedition.

When she reached the indicated area _ walked around and found unusual tracks. They were a lot bigger than a lions. She followed them until she found a riverside. There the tracks had disappeared. She walked around and around to look for a fresh trail, but it simply wasn't there. She took a moment to consider her options, when she heard a branch snap behind her. She looked up to see a large creature move out of the tree it was resting in.

Mister Franklin was right, she had never seen anything like this before. The Nundu was a lot bigger than a lion, but resembled the large cat in a lot of ways. The most striking feature was the neck, which was loaded with dangerous-looking spikes. The creature started to growl. _ took a step back and lost her footing on the wet stones of the river. She fell backwards in the water. The sound of her splash provoked the Nundu, who began to roar. _ looked in wonder as the throat inflated like a frog's. The roar was deafening.

For the first time, _ was scared.

She wasn't the one hunting anymore, now she was the hunted.

_ felt an impulse to run, but she also wanted to keep looking at the extraordinary creature. When she studied the animal, she noticed the long gashes in its legs and sides. It looked like someone had beaten the Nundu with a whip.

Suddenly the Nundu made a move forward and opened its mouth.

'Look out!'

It happened so quickly, _ could hardly recover everything. The Nundu opened its mouth to let out a long breath. A sickening smell filled the air and the color turned yellow-greenish.

At the same time, there was a flash of red and brown as someone jumped towards _ to pull her away from the beast. _ landed a little further down the river, the stones poking in her back. A tall man with reddish hair and green-blue eyes hovered over her, shielding her body with his own. In a second she could have sworn she saw a shimmering shield around the two of them.

All of this happened within three seconds at most. _ recovered herself and pushed herself to her feet. The man stood in front of her, still shielding her from the approaching beast.

'The breath of the Nundu is filled with toxic. It could wipe out an entire village. Better not get too close,' the tall stranger said. _ could make out right away he was British, and that he was more than just a man.

Despite the distraction, _ decided to trust the Brit for now. 'How do we put it down?' she asked. The man turned to face her, his eyes searching hers. There was a slight look of disapproval mixed with fear in his eyes. 'We don't. Usually it takes more than twenty trained wizards to take down a Nundu. All we can do is run,' he explained quickly.

'But this one is wounded,' _ stated. 'It isn't that aggressive. Maybe this is our change.' _Wait, hold on a second. Wizards?_

The man sighed. 'I do not like it, but you may be right. Maybe we can stun him,' he suggested. _ pulled her poach closer and took a bottle with purple swirling liquid. 'This might work,' she said, holding it up for him to see.

The Nundu was slowly coming closer. The two humans walked in circles in the clearing to keep their distance. The Nundu was too tired to make a run for them. The man looked at the bottle. 'Sleeping Draught. Perfect. I'll distract him, you uhm, 'put him down'.'

With that said, they moved in opposite directions. The Nundu followed the red-haired Brit and forgot about _ for a moment. She snuck up behind the creature and climbed higher on a big boulder. From there, she took a big leap in the air, throwing the liquid over the creature. She landed on her feet and the Nundu fell down within seconds. _ looked up to see the man staring at her. His eyes were big in wonder and appreciation.

'T-that was amazing,' he said. 'You are quite skilled. Sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm Newt Scamander, and you are?'

_ took a moment to catch her breath as she looked at Newt. '_,' she replied. 'Nice to work with you mister Scamander. Now, would you care to explain what the hell you meant by _wizards?'_

Newt was taken aback. 'B-but…I assumed you knew. You are hunting a Nundu but you don't know anything about it?'

'I was told: big, cat-like and sort of toxic. Seemed enough at the time to go on,' _ stated dryly, still a little shaken from the entire encounter. 'But are you telling me there are such things as wizards and witches? Like, proper magic and all?'

Newt still had an expression on his face like he had seen a ghost. Or well, maybe something _more_ impossible than a ghost. 'You used a potion.'

_ sighed and walked around the unconscious Nundu to come closer to Newt. 'Stole a book from my dad years back. A lot of the ingredients I could find. He carried quite the large collection of weird items but they were very useful. I always suspected he was into witchcraft, but like, voodoo stuff. Are you telling me it's more than that?'

'I-I honestly don't know what to-,' Newt started. He stared deep into _'s eyes and it made her quite uncomfortable. No one ever looked so intense at her. But this man, his eyes had an effect on _ she had never felt before.

'You're a squib,' he stated, like it was obvious.

'You're calling me a what?'

'Squib. Your parents were magical but you are a muggle. Yet you know how to practice the art of making potions,' he said, seeing her life story in her eyes. 'Fascinating,' he whispered.

_ was quite sure he didn't mean to say that out loud. His cheeks got a deep pink flush and his eyes averted to the ground. 'Sorry,' he mumbled.

'My parents are wizards,' is all _ could say. Her mind should be at this new information. Her mind should be at the unconscious beast lying two feet away. Instead, her mind was with this man. Newt Scamander, destroyer of reality by his unreal beauty. He seemed to be so heroic and tough a moment ago, and now he was blushing and stuttering. He had saved her from toxic breath and recognized Sleeping Draught within seconds. He could tell her life story from one look at her eyes and he just told her about a whole new world. One she kind of knew existed, but didn't allow herself to believe in.

This man just literally turned her world upside down. Who could have thought the tough huntress had a weak spot for handsome-looking Englishmen?

She wanted to start a new hunt. A hunt for him. A smile played at _'s lips at the thought.

'Yes, I believe so,' he answered. 'You were never shown any magic?'

_ shrugged. 'Not until now, I guess. I never saw the potions as magic, since I can make them with my normal, mortal hands,' she joked. 'And this hunt is also kind of an eye-opener.' Newt smiled at that. God she loved his smile. As if this man couldn't get any closer to perfection. _Seriously, what is happening to me? Is this a crush? I never have crushes. I crush people, that I do._

Newt seemed to snap back to reality as well. He turned on his heels to stand over the Nundu. His hand hovers over the whip marks on the creature. 'It used to be save here. Now more wizards are finding him and trying to capture him. I should take him somewhere save,' he rambled to himself. _ listened with interest.

Newt turned his head around. 'I need to get something here. I left it safely hidden a couple of miles North of here. Would you mind waiting here for a bit? I'll be back in a jiffy.'

_ just stared at him, in trance. 'Sure.'

Newt pulled something out of his pocket, a wand. He flicked the object in the air and the next second he was gone. _ felt like she had awoken from a dream. How did this…Newt have such an effect on her? _Oh god. He is a wizard. He bewitched me!_

It was the only logical explanation. He got on her good side by saving her, and then he talked in on her, weaving some sort of charm. _ wasn't going to fall for that. No wizard got in her head.

She put her hand in the poach and retrieved another bottle. This one was a dark shade of green. She poured some of the potion in the mouth of the Nundu, allowing the Shrinking Solution to work its magic. The creature shrunk to the size of a golf ball. _ picked it up and put it in her poach. Then she ran, fast and far.

* * *

Only seconds later Newt apparated back to the place he had left _ and the sleeping Nundu. To his surprise, he found it empty of both. He looked around, searching for tracks or any clue where they had gone. Why would she have run off? He was quite convinced they were on good terms. People ran off on him more often, but now he hadn't done anything to annoy her, did he? Maybe she didn't react well to the Squib thing. He never noticed these emotions in people.

Even though Newt was used to it, he felt disappointed and sad. Once more someone ran out on him. With a highly dangerous magical creature. He should definitely find her, and quickly.

* * *

A feeling of guilt pulled on _ as she handed the Nundu over to mister Franklin. He had this creepy smirk on his face again. He had thanked her and _ had gotten out as soon as she could. Now that she knew of magic, she was pretty sure mister Franklin was a wizard too. How different he was from Newt.

Newt. The man that didn't leave her mind for a second. _ went to the local bar where she sat down on the veranda and watched the village and the people. The sun had just set. The street was busy with people and lanterns glistened with their flames. _ had known no other life than that in Kenya. She wasn't from around, her parents had moved here just before she was born. They always told _ that they hated the western world, and needed to get _real_ people around them. Her father was keen on telling her everything about the world and the people on it. He had shown her books and pictures about countries and cultures. Her mother had always assumed _ would stay in the village for her entire life, but her father had known, that one day, she would leave. And he didn't want her to be unprepared of what she was going to find. So far she had never been further than Marsabit, a city south of here. She wanted to leave, but was also afraid.

Too bad they both died of malaria.

A glass of whiskey danced between her fingers. _ watched a man on the street. He was trying to get the attention of a girl, who seemed a little interested, but kept walking away. _What is that like? Having someone court you? Having someone like you?_ No man had ever dared to come close to _. Maybe because of her color, maybe because she was stronger and more dangerous than most men.

Someone bumped into the corner of her table. _ was startled from her thoughts. She looked up at whoever had bumped into the table. Her pupils dilated in fear, guilt and something else she couldn't place when she recognized the man.

'Hello again,' Newt said, sitting down in the chair opposite her. He carried a suitcase that he placed on the floorboard. Then he leaned forward on his elbows. He was wearing the same clothes as earlier: a white blouse with rolled up sleeves and a brown waistcoat over it. Something green was sticking out of his pocket. A branch? Why would he carry that?

_ tried to speak. She wanted to explain why she ran away. She wanted him to understand her job was all she had. However, she made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Those green-blueish eyes that looked so kind and dreamy. _ hadn't known she was holding her breath. Then she felt light in her head and released a shaky breath.

One corner of his mouth curled up in a smile. _Can he stop that?_ 'You don't have to explain. I asked around in the village for you. Apparently you bring in wildlife for researchers, am I right? The people here seem a little scared of you,' he said. Then he thought twice of his words and tried to back out of it. 'N-no, I don't mean scared. T-they have respect for you. I think they said-,'

_ huffed. 'No. Scared would be the right word. I'm no sweetheart.'

They shared another look. Newt looked apologetically. _ didn't like this line of conversation. 'I am sorry I left you there. You see, my boss said he would fire me if I didn't listen to the 'rich white guy'. I am really a disaster at weaving or selling fruits, so there is not really anything else I can do. It was nothing personal.'

Newt sighed and leaned back a little. 'What happened to the Nundu?'

_ couldn't face him when she told him. 'I handed it over to mister Franklin. Believe me, I feel terrible. I wish I could take him back.'

She heard his chair creak as he shifted again. _ looked up at Newt once more. There was a determined look on his face, mixed with worry. 'Would you?'

_ pulled up one eyebrow. 'Would I what?'

Newt leaned forward over the table. 'Would you help me get the Nundu back?' he whispered. _ stared at him like he was insane. But at the same time, she did want to help the poor creature. Despite hunting animals, she hated it when they got hurt. And mister Franklin was obviously not going to be a good person to it.

It took _ a couple of seconds to decide her answer. Newt looked hopeful in her eyes. He even placed his hand over hers on the table. His hand felt warm and rough. _ sighed.

'Alright.'

* * *

_ knew the area like the inside of her pocket. She lead Newt past the cages containing lions, gazelle's and even a small elephant. The cages were highly built with thick wood. They reached the very last of the cages. _ peeped between the beams. Inside was the Nundu, back to his normal size. The creature laid down on his side. His breathing was slow. He was in pain.

Newt looked as well, bringing his face next to hers. 'He is dying from those wounds. He needs treatment,' he said. His voice was so heartbroken, _ felt heartbroken as well. Newt cared so much about this dangerous beast. Like it was a puppy.

_ opened the gate to let them in. The Nundu raised his head slowly to see his intruders. He gave a low growl.

'Ssssshush. We are not here to hurt you. Please, let me take care of you,' Newt said like the Nundu could understand him. _ watched in wonder as Newt closed in on the magical creature.

'Can he understand you?' _ asked at last. Newt had his back turned to her, so she didn't see him glancing down to the creature in his pocket. 'Some of them do.' Newt moved even closer and sat down next to the Nundu. He looked over his shoulder back at _. She was watching the two in wonder.

'Do you still have Shrinking Solution?'

'Yeah,' _ breathed as she pulled the bottle out of her pouch. She handed it to Newt, who carefully dropped some into the Nundu's mouth. The creature shrunk again. Newt put his suitcase down and opened it up. 'Normally,' he started talking as he lifted the Nundu in the case 'I wouldn't need to make you small. However, I do not have the strength to lift you and you can't stand. I'll soon start on your own environment, once we healed you up.'

_ was a hundred percent sure Newt had forgotten she was there. He was talking to the Nundu, thinking about everything that the beast needed. Suddenly _ understood something. This man would never put anyone before his creatures. There wasn't a family member, friend or lover that would have priority over that suitcase. And despite the fact that it made her sad, it was also unbelievingly beautiful. _ caught herself crying. She quickly wiped away the tear before Newt could see.

They walked out of the cage, _ locking it again. Newt stood close to her, staring at her hands as they fumbled with the key. 'I can't start to thank you enough,' he whispered in her ear. A warm shudder went down _'s body at the close contact. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and was met with his brilliant eyes. There was no need for a word of thanks, it was all there in his eyes.

She swallowed. 'You're welcome.'

Maybe it was her imagination, but in the dark it looked like Newt was leaning in to her. There was however no time to figure out what would happen next. A bright light shone over them. Newt and _'s heads whipped around to the source of light.

'I really thought you were smarter than this, _,' said a voice she loathed by now. The light lowered and they could see Eduard Franklin. Somehow he looked more menacing than before. Usually _ wasn't one for cowardice, but this was different. She placed her hand on Newt's arm, who protectively stood in front of her. He had his wand at the ready. Only now did _ notice the light came from the tip of the wand Eduard was holding. _Definitely wizard then._

'You don't understand what you were after. A Nundu is highly dangerous. It has a XXXXX classification by the Ministry of Magic, which means-,' Newt started.

'I am fully aware what a Nundu can and can't do. It was mine, but it escaped. Now I am simply retrieving what is mine.'

The look on Newt's face turned dark. 'You don't _own_ him. It's a wild beast.'

Eduard started chuckling. 'Of course I own that beast. I own so many magical beasts. Do you know what muggles pay to see lions perform tricks? Or bears? Imagine showing them a Nundu. A Nundu that jumps through flaming hoops. Or an Erumpent that hops on his hind legs? There is so much money in that, mister….'

Newt straitened his back and raised his wand. _ tightened her grip on his arm, somehow feeling like she should.

'The name is Newt Scamander, and I am the wizard who is going to stop you and close down your circus.'

_ looked up to Newt's face. A warm feeling was spreading though her body. She soon turned cold again when she noticed Eduard saying a spell and firing a yet of light in their direction. Newt circled his arm quickly around _ and disapparated.

Apparation felt like being thrown into a cement mixer. _'s head felt like it was hit against a solid wall over and over again. Her stomach turned over and over and over…Until it stopped. _ couldn't make her legs function right. She was about to topple over when Newt grabbed her firmly and kept her upright.

'Are you okay _?' he asked concerned.

Luckily _ was made of some badass materials so she soon stopped swinging. She pushed herself kindly away from Newt to stand on her own legs.

'That,' she said, finally focusing her eyes on Newt's face 'was the sexiest thing I have ever seen anyone do,' she said. A funny thought came to her mind, telling her to be embarrassed. But no, this situation was too awesome to feel awkward.

Newt however was deeply embarrassed. A deep flush flooded his cheeks and his eyes averted to the ground. He smiled awkwardly. 'T-thank you.'

_ giggled. The dizziness had an almost drunk effect on her. She sounded mad in her own ears. 'We should totally run though. That man is out to kill us now.'

Newt snapped back to reality. He had brought them to Marsabit. In western culture it would definitely not be called a city, but for Kenya it was one of the main places. It even had a small train station. They stood on a dirt road leading into town. 'We should get far away. We have the Nundu. I'll ask when the next train leaves.'

He looked back at _ who still swayed a little on her legs. He realized she didn't have anything on her except the torn clothing she wore and the poach around her hips. She probably didn't own a passport or any money.

'I mean, if you want,' he said, embarrassed.

_ raised an eyebrow. 'What do you mean?'

Newt sighed. 'What are you leaving behind?' _ stared at him for a long moment before she broke in a fit of giggles. 'Nothing! I live in with the local shelter, like most of us. All that is left next to my bed is a small supply of ingredients for my potions. That's what I spend my money on. To be fair, I would lose my job if I didn't have those potions. It's the only way I can take the animals down. I'm a façade, a liar. I'm nothing.' The end of her sentence ended in a whisper.

Newt couldn't stand the hopelessness in her voice. He strode towards her and took her hands between his, setting his case down. He looked her deep in her eyes. 'You are a person. You are a wonderful, beautiful person. You helped me because you knew it was the right thing to do. You use your potions so you don't have to hurt animals. You are _ and I am glad I met you.'

_ stared at Newt for a long moment. Her eyes started to feel wet again. She laughed the emotion off. 'That's the second time you amaze me by a strong speech.'

Newt chuckled. 'Would you believe me if I said I am normally really bad with words?'

_ smiled a brilliant smile. 'No. Not really.' They were both smiling. 'Well I am,' Newt said, taking his case and starting walking into town. 'I am awkward and I annoy people.'

_ shrugged. 'I am a tough cookie with three shillings to my name.'

Newt burst out in a loud laughter and _ joined in. They walked to the train station, hand in hand.

* * *

The next train was leaving the next morning. They were in luck to find a small hotel close by. Not like it was full, but most hotels already closed down because of the lack of tourists. Newt was afraid Eduard would attack them in the night, so they got a shared room with a single bed. The case stood next to the bed. Newt had walked in - _ had watched with big eyes – and made sure the Nundu was okay. Afterwards he came back up, not wanting to leave _ alone for too long. They sat on the bed, their backs leaning against the wall. There wasn't a lot to do except stare at the far wall. There was a comfortable silence between them for a long time, until Newt broke it.

'Where are you originally from? I can see you aren't an African,' Newt said.

_ chuckled. 'You would be amazed by how many Africans are white of color. My parents were from Ireland, but I was born here, in Kalacha. We never moved far away from the area. This city is the biggest one I have ever seen. Well, apart from books my dad showed me. So you are wrong, mister Scamander, to assume I am not African. I was born and raised here.'

Newt looked down at _'s face. 'My apologies,' he said softly. _ looked up at him. His face looked so peaceful and empty of worry. She could imagine the current situation to not be foreign to him. If he wanted to protect magical creatures life couldn't be easy. The proof was all over his arms. _ looked down at his strong arms. They were covered in scars. bite marks, claw stretches and knife cuts. Animals and humans attacked this kind-hearted man over and over.

'How do you stand it?' she asked with a voice barely above a whisper.

Newt looked surprised. 'Stand what?'

_ moved her hand to his arm and gently stroked over the scars. 'Being abused by humans and animals alike?'

Newt was taken aback by her question. He moved a bit further away from her and pulled his arm away. He turned his face to stare at the wall again. Clearly, she had hit a sensitive spot.

'Sorry. I understand if you don't want to talk about it,' _ said softly.

For a long moment that seemed to be the end of the conversation. After minutes had passed, Newt spoke again.

'I can stand it because I make a difference. If I hadn't been here, this Nundu would be re-captured and would have died this week. I am going to heal him and bring him back to another part of the world once he is ready. The creatures attacking me means nothing. It's part of the job I chose. I don't mind it. People however…,' he stopped. His voice was full of emotion. Raw, hurtful and angry emotion. He inhaled sharply. 'Humans do way more harm. To be honest, I hate the way we treat the world. We take and take. There will be a time when the water runs out. When all the meat we eat is gone because we extinct species. A time when the world will literally give up. Animals only use what they need to survive and have a happy life. I wish humans would take an example of that.'

_ was speechless. She totally agreed with him. But having a view of the world like that was easier when you lived as basic as the animals. Newt was from England, probably raised in a wealthy family. He looks at the things that are normal to him and sees the errors in them. In that moment, the respect _ had for Newt increased even more.

They didn't speak anymore after that. Newt calmed himself again. It wasn't in his nature to worry too much about things he couldn't change, but it could make him emotional. _ leaned against the wall and fell asleep. Her head kept lolling in all directions. Newt spread her out over the bed gently, her head on his lap. He stroked her hair without realizing. His mind was far away. He was thinking about Eduard and his circus. Where would he be? Where were those poor creatures being tortured for entertainment? Could he find it? He needed to. He threatened an important and dangerous man. A part of him – the Hufflepuff as he liked to think of it – mentally slapped him for doing something so stupid. This wasn't the first time he wondered how he would have done in Gryffindor.

_ stirred and woke up. She breathed fast and pushed herself up quickly. She was disorientated by her change in position.

'It's okay. You can sleep. You seemed uncomfortable, so I…I moved you,' Newt said.

She looked at him with big, sleepy eyes. 'Yes, alright.' She laid back down on his lap. Newt refrained himself from stroking her hair again.

'Don't you want to sleep?' she asked.

'I have too much going on in my head right now. I need to find that circus,' Newt replied.

_ turned her head so she could look up at him. 'You can think about that on the train. Some sleep would help now,' she argued. Newt knew she was right, but he was worrying too much.

'Besides,' she said, settling down on his lap again to drift back to sleep 'worrying isn't going to change anything. It only means you suffer twice.'

Within seconds she was fast asleep, leaving Newt to ponder on that for the rest of the night.

* * *

After a restless night they left the hotel to be in time for the train. The streets were empty apart from a couple of people and the two runaways. Newt clutched his special suitcase tightly in his hand, while holding _'s hand in the other. Usually he would blush if he held a girl's hand – it didn't happen too often to him after all – but this situation didn't ask for that. He needed to keep her close. He was afraid that the moment he let go of her hand something bad would happen.

'Hold onto me,' he had whispered in her ear the moment they stepped out of their room. 'Take my hand and don't let go. Not for anything.' _ had raised an eyebrow at him but listened anyway. She wouldn't complain about something that she secretly liked a lot.

Too much, she kept telling herself.

The train station wasn't a lot more than a beaten up platform and a ticket booth. A big old clock stood on the platform, telling them the time.

Newt checked the pocket watch he wore on him. 'The train should be here any minute.'

A chill went down _'s body. She didn't know why, because it was very hot so she couldn't be cold. She neither could be unhappy, since she was holding the hand of the most beautiful person she had ever met, and since she was going to leave her meaningless life behind to become someone else. Newt's partner. Well, in business at least. Someone that helped him to help magical creatures. Her heart fluttered at the thought of such a future.

Yet the chill was still there. Like a foreboding feeling something bad was going to happen. Before she knew it, she started saying what was on her mind.

'I could never thank you enough Newt,' she said, breaking the sound of chirping crickets. Newt's head whipped around to face her, a surprised look on his face. His lips were slightly parted, and _ thought it looked so appealing to just lean in and…

'What on earth for? You helped me,' he said while rapidly blinking his eyes.

_ chuckled. 'For saving my life. In so many ways,' she told him. The emotion started to build up in her voice. He clearly didn't like the way she was talking. 'Even if you left me at the first station from now on and ran away, I would still have a better life than I ever could in that village. I needed a push, a change. Something to wake me up and yank me away. And you were there-,'

A sharp pinch in her hand stopped her. Newt's hand was slightly shaking in hers. 'Stop that. Stop talking like…,'

'Like what?'

'Like this is goodbye,' he said. He looked her straight in the eyes, and suddenly he was another man. An old and weary man. Someone who had loved and lost. Someone who didn't ask for suffering and loss but still had too much of both. _ felt pity for him. Out of sheer hopelessness of what to do, she stood on her toes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Right away his cheeks got violently red and hot. He stared at the ground, stealing glances of her face but unable to hold her gaze. _ smiled. He was so adorable.

They were so lost in conversation that they didn't notice the train coming in until it was slowing down next to them. The train stopped, and both of them turned to walk in. It wasn't a luxe kind of train with compartments. No, they got in a container filled with hay and a couple of old chairs that looked like they would fall apart any minute. Much time to choose they didn't have: the train started moving as soon as they set a foot in the train. Newt caught _'s arm as she nearly stumbled backwards. _ stared ahead, for a moment thinking about the things that were happening. She was on a train. The train was moving already, moving away from her old life, towards a new one. There was a man at her side that held onto her. Someone that didn't want to lose her.

And in that moment, _ realized what happiness felt like.

However, it would stay a moment.

A blaze of light showed up in the corner of her eye. She wasn't fast enough to turn around in time. A yet of light hit her in her back. She fell to her knees, aware she was falling forward into the train, not out of it.

' _Accio_ ,' someone said in the distance. Her fleeting moment of good fortune disappeared as she was torn away from the train by some invisible force. Her legs and back scraped over the dirt road, further and further away from the train. Until she stopped.

'You didn't _really_ think you could get away with this, did you?'

_ didn't have to look up to know who her attacker was. Yet she did, and squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight surrounding his form like a halo. But this man wasn't a saint.

'Really happy to see you again, asshole,' _ told Eduard Franklin.

'No!'

_ looked back to the train that was moving away from her. Newt stood in the opening of the container, torn between jumping out or not. The agonizing sound of his scream was too much for _'s heart.

Eduard got a full hand of her hair and yanked her to her feet. _ groaned but didn't give him the satisfaction of showing how painful it really was. He brought her face to his. His face was red with anger. A vein stood out on his neck, pulsing angrily.

'I am so done with you, bitch. You are only a muggle playing with potions that don't belong to you. You don't understand the world, and the world doesn't want you,' he spat. The tip of his wand was pressing in her neck. _ was completely and utterly terrified on the inside.

'You don't know me,' she said back, trying to control the fear. Her tone gave it away despite her best effort.

He laughed. 'What, you think you mean anything to _him?_ The annoying Englishmen? You do understand you are only useful to him, don't you? That he keeps you around as a charity? Probably too much of a softie to dump you, so he drags you along only to dump you along the road somewhere? He doesn't care about you.'

As if on que, they heard someone call out ' _Expelliarmus!'_ nearby. The wand that was pressed against her neck was suddenly gone. _ looked up to see Newt, only a couple of feet away, now with two wands in his hand. The other hand was still holding the suitcase.

Before Newt could make a second move, Eduard had pulled out a knife and held it to her throat. _ stood as still as she could, afraid his hand would slip.

'Don't move or I'll kill her!' he threatened.

Newt's advantage was gone in a second. He stood with his hand raised, showing he wasn't going to attack the other man.

'Let her go, please,' he begged.

'I'll give you the girl. In exchange for that suitcase.'

Newt seemed petrified. His eyes were big and round, staring in disbelief. He was faced with the most impossible dilemma. What was more valuable to him: a human life or dozens of magical creatures? Could he ever even choose? The answer was no. _ knew he could never choose. Because he was a good man, and he never wanted to leave anyone behind. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

'Newt, it's okay. Go catch the train and leave. I'll be fine,' she said.

Both men were startled by her words. Eduard laughed. 'So brave she is. Stupid and useless, but brave.'

Newt was shaking his head as his eyes glistened with unshed tears. 'N-no. No! I'm not leaving you! H-he will kill you!'

'You have to take the chance,' she said. She caught Newt's attention. She motioned her eyes to the hand with the two wands in it, and then to Eduard. She needed him to take a chance. Maybe it would only hit him. And if she was fast enough, _ could slip from his grasp.

It was that or certain death.

Newt saw the same thing as she did. Eduard wasn't aware of their exchange. In a single moment a lot happened.

It started with Newt lowering his hand and screaming ' _stupify!'_ as he aimed for Eduard his head. The man saw it coming, a moment too early and a moment too late. His face was out of the way, but Newt did hit him in the hand that was holding the knife. Luckily he dropped the knife without cutting her. _ took hold of his wrist and twisted his arm around until it snapped. Eduard screamed out in pain as he fell to the ground. _ moved swiftly towards Newt. She jumped in his arms, ready to leave. Newt waited only a moment too long, as Eduard had thrown a small rock and hit Newt's hand holding the wands. Both fell to the ground. _ watched as both men dived for their wand. She still held onto Newt's sleeve, ready to disapparate when he touched his wand. Eduard reached his wand a moment before Newt did. Both men were conjuring a spell in their heads. At the same time the moment felt like in slow-motion and also sped up to a millisecond. _ had a bad feeling in her stomach. She didn't know a lot about wizards or spells, but the power radiating from Eduard was sending a clear message. A message of power. Destruction.

Newt apparated. _ went with him. As they went into the swirling world of apparating a scream, a cry, a whisper, echoed around in _'s head.

 _Avada Kadavra._

They both apparated in the same train container as they went on before. Both fell down on their backs, the hard wood and the dry straws of hay pricking in their backs.

'We made it.'

A silence followed, only filled with the rapid breathing of the survivor.

'We made it _,' Newt said again, out of breath. It took him a long moment to look to his side where she laid. Unmoving.

'_?' Newt asked, pushing himself up on his elbow to hover over her. Only now he noticed she was lying so completely terrifyingly still. Her eyes were open, staring above her at nothing. Her eyes looked at nothing. There was no life in her eyes.

'_?' Newt whispered again. He moved his hand to _'s cheek. With a trembling hand he stroked her cheek. No response. No movement. No life.

'No. No, no, no. No!' Newt franticly moved to his knees and placed his hands on her body. Feeling the pulse in her neck, her wrists, her heart. Nothing indicated life. How had he not heard the spell? How did he not see the flash of green? Was he too busy with himself in that moment to notice her death?

A terrible feeling washed over him. A feeling of guilt that would never, ever leave him.

She died alone.

And Newt needed to move on with his life, knowing that this woman, this girl, died alone when he should have been there for her.

* * *

 _Do you hate me already? :)_


End file.
